So Cold
by Taylor210
Summary: When Ashley finds out what Carmen did to Spencer will she be able to keep her cool? Or will it all end in tears?
1. Nothing But The Truth

"So I have no idea what's going on with Spencer,she's acting weird and when we were together last night she..i dunno froze up" Ashley paced around the room whilst biting her finger nail.

Chelsea continued to paint on her blank canvas,she swore she would keep her mouth shut if Ashley was to ask any questions. Spencer had been the only real friend she had,she was the only one she could turn to. Chelsea watched the brunette frown whilst trying to work things out,she had a right to know aswell. "Maybe she's just going through a tough time you know?" she shrugged her shoulders trying her best to ignore the niggling voice in her mind. Telling Ashley what Carmen did to Spencer would only cause complete mayhem.

Ashley shook her head,"No its more then that" she urged trying to get someone,anyone to understand her. "We were fooling around last night and I raised my hand to grab something and..and she flinched" she explained,her eyes wide with confusion. Spencer had been acting strange for a while now,every time the brunette asked her what was wrong she said nothing. It was always nothing.

"She almost looked scared of me" Ashley chewed her bottom lip,for the life of her she could not work out why her girlfriend was acting so odd.

"Look Ashley maybe you should just talk to her?" Chelsea put her paints down and quickly took her apron off. Keeping a promise this big was proving to be difficult,Spencer told the story in such a state that Chelsea was contemplating telling Paula until the blonde begged her not to.

Ashley rubbed at her face with frustration,"If you know something you have to tell me" she took a step closer to the dark haired girl. "Chelsea,i need to know what's going on" Ashley pleaded, locking eyes with her.

Chelsea sucked in a breath and clasped her hands together. "Okay..i know why Spencer is acting funny and I know what happened with" she closed her eyes briefly before re-opening them. "With her and Carmen" she stated running her tongue over her teeth,her eyes glazed over with a darkness.

"Carmen?" Ashley raised an eyebrow.

"Ashley before I tell you,you have to promise not to get upset..or angry" Chelsea explained slowly,she could feel the tears scold her eyes for breaking her friends promise. "Why don't you sit down?" she suggested trying to delay telling the tale for as long as possible,this wasn't easy for her.

Ashley could hear her heart banging in her ears,"Can you just tell me?!" she commanded ignoring the seat that the girl had pulled out for her.

Chelsea looked down at her shoes,"You know when you and Kyla were away for your music thing?" she looked at Ashley waiting for a nod to continue. "Spencer said Carmen got upset that she was waiting for your call even though you weren't together any more" she explained,she swallowed thickly.

Ashley's breathing became heavy,"Okay?" she said with a hand gesture for Chelsea to continue. An overwhelming darkness poured into the room and Ashley knew this story was heading from bad to worse.

"They had a fight and Carmen was accusing her of still being in love with you" the dark haired girl ran a hand across her neck. "Carmen got really angry and..she pushed Spencer against a wall and tried to..you know" she whispered not wanting to think of her best friend in the most horrible situation.

Ashley caught her breath in her throat,her eyes slowly glazed over with tears. Grabbing the wooden chair from behind her,she sat down and held her stomach,she could feel the air from her lungs being taken. Her head began spinning and she felt hot,like she was burning. "I let this happen" she pointed to her chest,the words were choked as she spoke them.

Chelsea looked fearful as she watched the brunette's genuine shock,she had no idea what to say to try and make things better. Nothing could make this better.

Ashley's hands clutched the sides of the chair,she was sure if she stood up she would fall down. Her body felt numb and heavy. "If I was here,if I was here with Spencer then none of this would have happened!" Ashley's fury sprang into action. She had never felt such hatred in her life before,not even for her mother. Her legs raised her from the chair and a sudden wash of rage burned through her like an electric shock. There was no containing it now.

"Ashley" Chelsea walked towards the brunette and stood in front of her. "Ashley look at me" she feared resting her hands on the girls shoulders. "You have to calm down and just be there for Spencer" she prayed her friend would listen and not do anything she would later regret.

Ashley ran a shaky hand through her hair,"Who else knows?" she asked quickly through gritted teeth. The only thing on her mind was to make Carmen pay for this.

"No one" Chelsea scratched her head. "No one else knows Ashley please promise me your not gonna do anything stupid?" she asked,hoping she would not loose anyone's trust or friendship over this.

The girl grabbed her bag and coat,she knew leaving the brunette in this frame of mind was not the best idea but she had no choice. "Look I have to go,my parents are in town and I promised I'd meet them" she explained throwing her bag over her shoulder. "Go and see Spencer okay? Forget Carmen." she ducked her head to meet Ashley's eyes.

Ashley said nothing but her dark,unpredictable eyes told another story. She watched Chelsea walk out of the art studio,she let out a long,deep breath. The thought of Carmen hurting Spencer,the thought of her trying to force herself on the innocent blonde was enough to make Ashley want to puke. Staring out of the small window she felt cold with emotion.

Ashley's mind wondered back to last night when Spencer looked so terrified at the raise of her hand,a look in her eye that Ashley had never seen before. Hot tears rolled down her face,a raging anger trapped inside her,she threw her fist against a near by wall. The impact was so hard she was sure she broke a knuckle. Ashley took a deep breath and grabbed her car keys.

Something had to be done,Carmen had to pay for hurting Spencer.

**Review pleasee,more coming soon.**


	2. I Would For You

**Really surprised that you guys liked this! Heres the next part,enjoy!**

Ashley gripped the steering wheel as she quickly but carefully drove to Carmen's. She tried to hold back the tears that sprung unbidden to her eyes. Her knuckles turned white as Spencer flashed through her mind,Carmen's hands all over her,she could hear Spencer in her head telling her to turn around and go home. Her eyes held nothing,emotionless and completely cold with a hidden rage.

The brunette rubbed her eyes and put her foot down on the acceleration. Ashley made no promises to herself,she had no idea how angry she was going to feel when face to face with Carmen. Her cell suddenly came to life and quickly snapped the girl from her thoughts. Ashley turned to the passengers side where her phone lay and answered the call on loudspeaker.

"Hello" Cold,empty, hollow. Ashley hardly recognised her own voice,she had to keep her cool.

"Its Chelsea I just wanted to make sure your okay?" the girl asked,her voice slightly shaky.

Ashley sighed and bit her bottom lip. "I cant do it im sorry,i have to see her" she replied. Before Chelsea had a chance to stop her,the brunette quickly hung up,leaving the line dead.

* * *

"Hey dad how long till dinner?" Spencer asked changing the channel for the fifth time.

Things between her and Ashley had become a little tense,some time with the family was exactly what she needed. Not telling the hotheaded brunette about what happened was her choice,she thought long and hard before deciding not to say anything. Spencer wanted to forget the incident and try and move on,she and Ashley were back on track so nothing else mattered any more. Especially not Carmen.

Glen plonked himself down next to his sister and snatched the remote from her. "Haven't you got somewhere to be?" he asked finding the sports channel.

"No. I thought I would spend the evening with Mom and Dad,is that okay with you?" Spencer teased grabbing the remote back,she sometimes missed the playful banter between them.

Glen took hold of Spencer's arm and tried his best attempts to give her a Chinese burn,"Give me that back butt head!" he wrestled with the blonde until he gave up. Spencer was a lot stronger then he thought. "Hey dad tell Spencer to put the sports back on,i wanna check the score" Glen yelled turning towards the kitchen area.

Arthur stirred the pot of Chilli and smiled,"Perfect" he said to himself. "Kids give your Dad a hand and set the table,Mom's gonna be home any minute" he grabbed a spoon from the kitchen drawer to taste his delicious meal.

With little enthusiasm,Spencer and Glen got up from the couch and made their way over to the dining table. Eating together always felt like a big thing in the Carlin household. A chance for everybody to relax and tell each other about their day. Glen grabbed the cutlery and glasses whilst Spencer set out the place mats.

The sound of a faint rumble could be heard and bright headlights poured into the living room.

"Hey Mom's home!" Spencer announced rearranging the messy cutlery her brother had done.

Paula rushed through the door and whipped off her coat,there was nothing like coming home to the smell of wonderful cooking. "Hey guys" she smiled running a hand through her windswept hair.

Arthur emerged from the kitchen carrying a plate of bread rolls. "Hey honey,just in time" he smiled pecking his wife on the lips. "I made your favourite" he shuffled back into the kitchen making sure everything was hot enough.

Paula kissed her son on the cheek and pulled Spencer in for a quick hug.

"So I get a lame kiss on the cheek and baby sis gets a hug? I always knew you liked her best!" Glen moaned nudging Spencer's shoulder.

Paula couldn't help but laugh as she pulled her strapping boy into a hug. "I missed you both today" she admitted ruffling Glen's blonde curly hair.

Spencer couldn't help but smile at her little family. Her Mom had come such a long way accepting Spencer and her sexuality. She was surprised that she hadn't mentioned Ashley yet,the two seemed to be getting along really well. It was all Spencer ever wanted.

"Okay guys,lets eat!" Arthur placed the big pot of Chilli in the middle of the table,he looked truly pleased with himself.

Glen sat down and took a bread roll,"Good im starving!" he grinned taking a bite.

Spencer playfully grimaced at her brothers disgusting eating habits,she wondered if he would ever find a decent girlfriend that could put up with him. The blonde pulled out her chair and sat down,he cell phone jumped into action giving her a fright. Spencer frowned as she read the caller I.D,it was odd for Chelsea to be calling at this time.

"Hey Chels can I call you back?" Spencer got up from the table and wondered into the living room.

"Actually no,there's something I have to tell you" Chelsea answered.

Spencer frowned,"What's going on?" she asked glancing at her family,she smiled politely at her father letting him know she would only be a second.

"I'm on my way to Carmen's I think your closer,maybe you can stop her"

"Wait,what are you talking about?"

"Ashley knows"

Spencer's eyes widened with shock and fear,she quickly hung up and grabbed Glens' car keys from the porch table. The Carlin's looked confused as the front door slam shut and the sound of screeching tires echoed around the room.

**Ooh its all very exciting lol Please review,more coming soon! :)**


	3. It's For The Best

Ashley pulled up outside a block of flats,the cold wind swept across her face as the moon hid behind the trees. Since throwing Carmen out of the loft,she had been told that the painter had brought a place nearby. Ashley knew by the end of tonight Carmen would leave L.A,even if she had to force her out. The brunette applied the handbrake and hopped out of the car,she could feel her fist curl into a ball,she knew this wasn't going to be pretty. Ashley tucked her car keys into the pocket of her jeans and made her way towards the tall building.

Each step felt like she was walking in quick sand,she could feel her heart pounding in her chest as the anger grew. Ashley had asked a little old lady for directions on the way,the kind woman pointed her in the direction of the newest arrival,with much thanks she flew to the top floor. The brunette could feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins,the hot tears surfaced when thinking about Spencer once again.

Ashley stood face to face with the dark green door,raising her hand she knocked loudly and stood waiting to be answered. A few seconds past and her patience began wearing thin,the hotheaded girl threw her fist against the wood.

Locks and bolts were being fiddled with until the door finally opened. Carmen looked somewhat surprised to see Ashley,her small smile soon dropped as Ashley said nothing. "What are you doing here?" she asked holding onto the door handle.

Ashley felt her blood turn cold,her teeth gritted together almost stopping herself from lunging towards the painter. A tornado of emotions washed over her,she felt her throat close up from lack of moisture. "I know what happened" she said firmly taking a step forward.

Carmen frowned slightly until she saw a flash of fire in the brunette's eyes. As Ashley moved closer she found herself backing away from her guest.

"I know what happened with you and Spencer" Ashley confirmed,setting her straight so they were on the same wave level. "How could you? I let you into my home" she snarled,she could feel her fingernails cutting into her palm.

Carmen felt her panic and fear rise within her,she had no idea who told the brunette,but she sure as hell wasn't going to back down. "It was a mistake okay? You weren't here,you have no idea what happened" she answered,she felt her lip quiver.

"Did it make you feel good?" Ashley felt her eyes widen as she took another step towards the painter,the anger radiated from her like a bulb. "Why..why did you have to hurt her huh!?" the brunette shouted in her face,she was taken back by a forceful push from Carmen.

Carmen ran towards her bag and pulled out a gun,her hand shook as she pointed it towards Ashley. "Calm down..your gonna calm down right now" she ordered,her eyes quickly filled with tears,she swallowed the lump in her throat.

This was dangerous,more dangerous then she ever imagined. Ashley's breathing became heavy as she stared at the gun being pointed at her,she had to be careful. "Where did you get that?" she asked staring the girl in the eyes.

"My dad..my dad gave it to me for emergencies" Carmen replied wiping her damp cheeks with the back of her hand.

"Your even more psychotic then I thought" the brunette whispered menacingly,she felt a darkness fill the room as the two stared each other out.

"Just go..GO!!" Carmen screamed,her face turning a shade of red. "Go back to Spencer,just leave" she spoke softer this time,the tears streaming down her face.

Ashley let out a puff of air,"What you gonna do Carmen? Shoot me?" the brunette shook her head suddenly realising the girl in front was serious. Ashley raised her hands in a surrender and took one small step back.

Carmen's heaving breathing softened,her hand lowered,the gun now pointing towards the floor. The painter had no intention of ever using the gun,but the way Ashley stared at her frightened her,she needed to scare the girl away.

Ashley turned her back slightly with her hands still raised,tricking Carmen into a false sense of security she swung her arm back punching the dark haired girl in the face. The anger burned her soul,she could not let her get away with this. The gun flew out of the girls hand landing on the floor near the door.

Carmen held her bloody nose whilst laying on the ground,she felt her head pound with pain like she was underwater. Getting up on her feet she lunged towards the brunette at full force,the two crashed ontop of the glass coffee table,the top shattering into pieces underneath them. Ashley could feel the blood on her tongue as Carmen delivered a swift punch to the face. The glass crunched under the pair of them as they both battled for control,Ashley grabbed a fistful of hair,whilst Carmen tried her hardest to punch at Ashley.

Ashley caught Carmen off guard,her fist connecting with the girls jaw,sending her flying backwards. The painter spluttered out a curse, laced with blood. Carmen's face twisted into an ugly rage,she grabbed Ashley's hair as the brunette stood up, shoving her into a wall. Ashley felt her back ache with pain,Carmen lashed out once again kicking the brunette in the stomach.

Ashley staggered forward smashing her fist into Carmen's face,she couldn't loose this fight,she had to do this for Spencer. With the painter once again laying on the floor,Ashley showed no remorse whilst she threw her fists at the girl.

Carmen took each blow,she could feel the brunette's knuckles swish past her nose,she wasn't sure how much she could take. A sudden strength rose within her,she had made a mistake with Spencer,it was a one off and she sure as hell felt guilty for it. With a loud groan she grabbed the brunette's neck and squeezed tightly.

All of Ashley's control was suddenly taken away as Carmen's hold tightened,the painter sat herself ontop of Ashley using both hands.

Ashley tried her hardest to grab the girls hair,her shirt,anything that she could reach. She could feel the blood rushing into her face,her lungs dying for oxygen as the hands around her throat only got tighter as she struggled more.

* *

Spencer tried her hardest to keep herself under control,inside she could feel panic and fear as she saw Ashley's car parked outside the block of flats. She knew Ashley would react badly when finding out the truth,this was the main reason why she decided to say nothing. Her hands shook as she took the keys out of the ignition,the thought of facing the unknown felt scary as Spencer quickly stepped out of the car. The blonde knew she was the only one that could stop Ashley from hurting herself and Carmen,she certainly didn't want anyone to be fighting over her.

As Spencer climbed the last staircase,she rushed towards the open door. Her face dropped in horror as she watched Carmen slowly squeeze the life out of her girlfriend. Ashley took another couple of punches,helpless without any air.

"Carmen stop!" Spencer's weak voice trembled,her eyes scanning the room,she gasped at the shattered table. "Your gonna kill her stop!" the blonde screamed, having no idea what to do.

Rushing towards the painter she grabbed the collar of her shirt in attempts to pull her away,Carmen once again lashed out and pushed her back.

"Please" Spencer raised her hands to her face,her eyes streaming with tears as Ashley took another blow,her eyes now closed,struggling to breath.

Spencer's baby blue eyes looked down at the floor,the dangerous weapon sitting on the ground.

Carmen grabbed a vase from a nearby window sill,grabbing a handful of Ashley's hair she raised the brunette's head off the ground.

Spencer had no choice. Carmen's rage had taken over,she had to be stopped. How could she let Ashley get hurt knowing she could have done something to stop it?

In the heat of the moment Spencer picked up the gun,pointing it towards her ex's back,she closed her eyes,and with a sharp intake of breath she pulled the trigger. The sound echoed throughout the room,everything seemed to slow down like a movie.

The bullet blasted straight into the upper section of Carmen's back,the blood instantly surfacing. She turned around with a stunned expression on her face,her eyes suddenly glazed over.

Her body became lifeless as she rolled off Ashley onto the floor beside her.

Spencer's lip shook realising what had happened,what she had done. Her eyes swimming with guilty tears,her heart pounding in her ears. The blonde's knees trembled with fear and shock.

Chelsea rushed through the door along side Kyla, whom she picked up on the way. No words were spoken,the frightening scene being too much to take in.

**I went a little O.C style on this,it inspired me lol. Maybe its little far-fetched but its exciting! Lol. Please review more on its way soon! :) **


	4. The Sky Is Falling Around Us

Sirens. That's all Spencer could hear ringing loudly in her ears as she rushed into the hospital. Everything felt surreal,like any second she would wake up and this terrible night would all be a bad dream. Spencer knew her intentions were good,not ever would she hurt Carmen,or anybody on purpose for that matter. The image of Ashley lying helplessly on the floor unable to breath kept flashing through her mind,as her feet carried on walking. The blonde turned to her girlfriend,a frightened look etched onto her face as the brunette grabbed her hand safely.

"_We need to do something,we need to call an ambulance and..and the police!" Chelsea cried out pacing around Carmen's flat,she frantically dived into her handbag to find her cell phone._

_Kyla felt the tears spring to her eyes as she walked over to her sister,as much as they argued over silly things,seeing Ashley like this made her realise she loved her. "Ashley" Kyla knelt down beside the brunette,she reached out and turned the girls face towards her. "Ashley please,please wake up" she begged,closing her eyes tightly._

"_Is she gonna be okay?" Spencer whispered,her lip quivered with fright at the scene before her. The blonde was thankful for the wall she was leaning against,her legs in no fit state to hold her up._

_Chelsea's voice became softer as she wondered into the kitchen area,she knew she had to be the strong one and get help._

_Kyla looked towards Spencer giving her a small shrug. "Ashley will be fine,she will be" she assured herself aswell as the blonde. All attention was now back on Ashley,her bruised and bloodied face twitching slightly as she came around. Kyla was almost certain she felt her heart flutter with relief as her sister regained consciousness,there was no way she could loose her big sister._

_Every inch of Ashley's body ached. Her eyes opened and quickly closed due to the harsh bright lights. The brunette opened her mouth to speak,but nothing came out. Everything felt so blurry and a wave of nausea washed over her as she attempted to open her eyes. The only thing in her mind was Spencer. Knowing she was safe was all that mattered to the brunette,she had to know._

"_Ashley..its me Kyla..can you hear me?" Kyla's voice wobbled,she reached down and carefully moved the hair from Ashley's eyes._

_Ashley tried her hardest to ignore her throbbing headache,she knew the blonde would need her,being useless now was not an option. With a loud groan,Ashley slowly sat up in her sisters arms,she looked to her right to see Spencer right by her side. Even though she felt terrible she managed to wrap an arm around her petrified girlfriend._

"_Everything is going to be okay" Ashley whispered gently kissing the top of Spencer's head._

_Chelsea emerged back into the living room. "The police and ambulance are on their way" she announced glancing at Carmen's lifeless body on the floor._

"She's gonna be okay right? She's not gonna die?" Spencer panicked following the stretcher.

The paramedics rushed Carmen through the hospital,they held a breathing mask over her face whilst a nurse began preparing for surgery. "I got a gun shot wound exited the right clavicle,a punctured artery" the tall blonde haired man informed his colleagues.

"Is she still alive?" the nurse asked slipping into a gown.

The blonde haired man nodded,"Yeah but not for long,we need to be quick" he insisted.

Kyla and Chelsea felt helpless,they wanted to help their friends in any way possible. "I'm going to phone Paula and Arthur,they need to be here" Chelsea placed a kind hand to Kyla's arm and walked towards the exit to make the call.

"Look she is gonna be alright?" Ashley begged bursting into the surgery room. Sure she hated Carmen for everything,but there was no way she wanted her to die. Spencer had protected her from all the what ifs,the last thing everyone needed was a death.

The nurse forcefully pushed the brunette out of the room,"Look miss we cant tell you anything yet" she sighed with frustration.

Spencer could feel her heart racing,she could her her pulse banging in her ears. Small beads of sweat formed on her forehead,all she wanted was someone to tell her it was all going to be okay. But the blonde knew it wasn't,how could anything be okay after what happened?

"Miss Spencer Carlin?" a deep voice approached her.

Spencer spun on her feet,she could feel the bile in her mouth as she swallowed. "Yeah..yes that's me" she replied praying to god she wasn't going to be put away for this,for self defence.

The police officer nodded,"I wanna ask you a few questions" he said sternly scribbling on his notepad.

"Please tell me what's going on?" Ashley pleaded as a doctor walked out of Carmen's room. Kyla tried to sooth her sister but nothing was going to stop the brunette.

"She's lost alot of blood" he informed looking back at the nurses feeding tubes through the girls throat. The doctor glanced back at Ashley and frowned,"What the hell happened to you?" he asked looking at her bruised face and busted lip.

Ashley sucked in a breath and shook her head,"Nothing..nothing im fine!" she wailed looking back at Spencer talking to the police officer. "Kyla just..just stop fussing around me!" she shouted,annoyed by the lack of space.

"Hey can someone take a look at this kid?" the blonde doctor shouted at reception,he turned and marched off towards the lift.

Kyla took a step back,she knew Ashley needed her right now. She did not want to get on the wrong side of her,not now.

"And did you discharge this weapon?" the copper held up a clear plastic wallet containing the gun.

Spencer looked utterly terrified and turned to Ashley for support.

Ashley could feel her teeth grinding together,all her patience had been thrown out of the window. "Don't answer him! Don't say anything!" the brunette urged,her eyes wide and full of worry.

"_Did it make you feel good? Why..why did you have to hurt her huh!?"_

"_My dad..my dad gave it to me for emergencies"_

"_I know what happened with you and Spencer"_

"_Just go..GO!"_

Ashley could feel her head spin like she was on a fairground ride. Her eyes began blinking rapidly to try and focus clearly,everything looked out of focus as the brunette panicked. Ashley could hear her name being called,a tall figure approached her, repeating her name several times. The brunette frowned,her breathing became heavier as the seconds pass.

"Ashley..Ashley?" Arthur took a step towards the girl,the fear in his voice grabbing the attention of Paula and Spencer.

Paula dropped her arms from around her daughter and rushed toward her husband,"What's going on?" she asks.

Ashley grew more and more disorientated,only a flash of blonde hair could she see as her head span making her feel sick.

Spencer took a step towards her girlfriend,"Ash" she spoke softly trying to lift the brunette's chin.

"Spencer?" Ashley replies weakly.

Her eyes roll back and her feet suddenly give way. A loud thump echoes as the girl falls to the hard ground,loud gasps fill the corridor as Ashley faints in front of their eyes.

**Big thank you to everyone thats been reading and reviewing! Hope you had a good christmas :)**


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